a social influence analysis of perceived organizational support
a social influence analysis of perceived organizational support
a social influence analysis of perceived organizational support
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Social <strong>influence</strong> research is important to the development <strong>of</strong> employee perceptions<br />
because it demonstrates that perceptions and attitudes do not form in a vacuum, but rather are<br />
shaped by the <strong>social</strong> environment (Erikson, 1988; Salancik & Pfeffer, 1978). Through<br />
relationships with others, a focal employee may be exposed to new information and different<br />
points <strong>of</strong> view. Accordingly, the expectation <strong>of</strong> most <strong>social</strong> <strong>influence</strong> studies is that individuals<br />
who maintain relationships with one another will have greater interpersonal similarity with<br />
respect to perceptions or attitudes than will individuals who do not interact with one another<br />
(Coleman et al., 1966; Festinger, 1954; Friedkin, 1993; Festinger, Schacter, & Bach, 1950;<br />
Homans, 1951).<br />
I expect that because coworkers are an important source <strong>of</strong> information about the job, the<br />
organization, policies, procedures, <strong>organizational</strong> events, and workplace norms (Morrison, 1993;<br />
Ostr<strong>of</strong>f & Kozlowski, 1992; Rousseau, 1995; Rousseau, 2001), the information that employees<br />
acquire through their interactions with coworkers will shape their perceptions <strong>of</strong> <strong>organizational</strong><br />
<strong>support</strong>. This will occur through three <strong>social</strong> <strong>influence</strong> processes: <strong>social</strong> information processing<br />
(Salancik & Pfeffer, 1978), <strong>social</strong> comparison (Festinger, 1954), and <strong>social</strong> learning (Bandura,<br />
1986). Social information processing theory contends that when employees do not understand<br />
what is happening in an organization, or when information is incomplete, they look to the<br />
<strong>organizational</strong> environment for information that helps them to better understand what is<br />
happening (Salancik & Pfeffer, 1978). Social comparison theory argues that individuals<br />
compare their opinions and outcomes to those <strong>of</strong> other relevant individuals to help develop their<br />
own beliefs (Festinger, 1954). Finally, <strong>social</strong> learning theory states that individuals learn from<br />
their relationships with others by observing their behavior and making inferences for their<br />
perceptions based on the observed behavior (Bandura, 1986).<br />
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